


Doubt

by BibiannaOddey1850



Series: Aurora Van der Linde Drabbles [5]
Category: Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Arthur is a Soft Cowboii, Arthur needs to stop denying his feelings, F/M, Gen, I Was Drunk When I Wrote This, Light Angst, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Older Man/Younger Woman, Period-Typical Underage, Underage - Freeform, Writing Exercise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 00:28:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17172407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BibiannaOddey1850/pseuds/BibiannaOddey1850
Summary: He knew what he felt was possibly brotherly affection towards the young girl, but somehow it didn't feel right anymore.





	Doubt

"You're lookin' lovely today, Miss Van der Linde."

Arthur raised his head and scowled at Sean. The Irishman ignored him in favor of kissing the back of Aurora's elegant hand. The eighteen-year-old girl laughed, stepping back to playfully bow in response to his kind greeting.

"And you're looking quite dashing, Mr. MacGuire." Aurora remarked, pretending to fan herself.

"May I have this dance, milady?" Sean inquired, offering his arm to her. There was no music, just the occasional snort or restrained giggles.

"Yes, you may!" Aurora grabbed his arm with exaggeration, and they both proceeded to dance without proper execution. The entire camp burst into joyous hilarity. Even Micah was amused with their antics.

"Miss Van der Linde, I think I'm in love with ya!" Sean exclaimed, to which Aurora let out a loud gasp.

"But Mr. MacGuire, what will your betrothed say?"

"I'm betrothed?!" Another round of laughter.

Arthur stopped sharpening his hunting knife; he looked on with a scowl at the dancing pair. He knew what he felt was possibly brotherly affection towards the young girl, but somehow it didn't feel right anymore. Especially when Aurora associated herself with the other male members of the gang, other than her immediate family.

"They sure make a fine looking couple." Arthur swiveled his head to glare at John. The said man wore that sort of grin which spelled out trouble. "Could you imagine their kids though? They'll probably look like Rory, but are loud as all hell like Sean."

"What're you gettin' at, Marston?" Arthur questioned him. His grip on the hunting knife tightened.

"I'm sayin' that Rory has all these men kissing the very ground she walks on, and yet the one person she really likes doesn't even want to look at her general direction." John explained.

Arthur began to scan the camp, trying to figure out which of them had captivated Aurora. Was it Javier? They were close in terms of language and culture. What about Bill? He nearly gagged at the thought. Lenny? No, the poor boy was still in love with Jenny. He sent a silent prayer to God that it wasn't Micah or even Simon. But Charles seemed like an appropriate match, so was it him?

All of a sudden, he received a light slap behind the head.

"I'm talkin' about you, Morgan."

At that, Arthur stood up and glared accusingly at John, who only smirked and raised his hands in mock defeat. By then, he realized that Marston lured him into a trap, and he was the gaping fish that took the bait. He sheathed his knife, and meandered towards the woods, shoving Uncle out of his way.

Away from the noises of camp, Arthur sat down on a fallen log and thought hard on what John told him. Was he really feeling that god awful emotion again? Aurora was a pretty girl; beautiful in that alluring sense. He groaned into his hand. He couldn't. Not when he recalls holding her in his arms when she was just a baby. Arthur felt awful, but the disgust was short-lived. John said Aurora liked her. Since when? He doesn't even know.

"Arthur?"

The man nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned around to see Aurora peering down at him from her place up on the mound. She warily climbed down the steep hillside until she was mere inches away from him. Her cheeks were flushed from her recent activity, and it made her appear more charming. Enticing, even.

"Whaddya want?" Arthur didn't mean to make it sound so harsh. But it didn't deter Aurora whatsoever; she only smiled, and his cagey heart fluttered.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to dance with me, but I saw you leaving. Is something bothering you?" She asked, sitting down beside him on the log.

"No, there's nothin' wrong. Except..."

"Except?"

"I just realized...I can't have the things I want, even though they're right in front of me."

"Why?" Aurora leaned closer to him, and he startled like a thunderstruck fool.

"Goddammit, Rory! Just head on back to Dutch before he starts to worry!" He intentionally made it sound so harsh, hoping she would leave and scorn him for hurting her.

But she didn't. Instead, she sat upright and said, "Arthur...the only one who's stopping you from getting what you want...is you."

He stared at her with doubtful blue eyes. Then, he shook his head. "I-I can't do this right now. I need some time to think about this. So, please, leave me alone. For now."

She looked pained for a moment. But Aurora quickly covered it up with a passive face. Without saying another word, she got up and left him to his thoughts.

And they have never been so loud in his head.

**Author's Note:**

> This is what I was aiming for these past weeks. Sorry if my notes are a little messed up, I was literally drunk from the ginger beer.
> 
> Before any of you react, I just want to point out that it wasn't weird for an older man to have a relationship with a younger woman.
> 
> In this case, it's a thirty-six year old man and an eighteen year old. But y'all gotta read up on historical romances because society back then accepted such form of love.
> 
> Also...I'm babbling away. Sorry everyone. Its the alcohol talking~


End file.
